But afterward they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for servants and for handmaids.
But later they changed their minds and forced the male and female servants they had set free to come back and become slaves again.
The people broke their promise to God by forcing the freed slaves back into slavery after initially doing what was right.
📚 Historical Context
In the time of King Zedekiah, the kingdom of Judah was facing a devastating siege by the Babylonian army, prompting the people to make a covenant to free their Hebrew slaves as commanded in God's law from the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy. This act of liberation was likely a desperate bid for divine favor during the crisis, but once the Babylonian forces temporarily withdrew, the people broke their promise and re-enslaved those they had freed. This betrayal highlighted the widespread unfaithfulness and hypocrisy among the leaders and citizens of Judah.
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